I know from our forum here, that bright red LEDs are available and working well as safelights for many, but as one whose eyes find OC light much preferable to red, I wonder if anyone knowledgeable in such matters as filter manufacture might chime in on the future possibility of similar filtration returning.

As others have noted, the rare round OC filter that shows up in the auction site demands a king's ransom, and sodium-vapor units such as the Thomas are equally rare, and problematic to lamp. (For many, such a luminaire is overkill or otherwise unsuitable for the darkroom space anyway.) I was recently delighted (and relieved!), starting my darkroom up after more than a decade, to find that my old Kodak OCs still test fully safe at 5 minutes or longer as placed. But all things wear out, and now that I'm getting active again, the question is one of those on my mind.

I assume that either the Kodak patent is still in force somehow, or that the restricted bandwidth is particularly difficult to manufacture (I wonder why, though I know that LEDs have a tricky wavelength distritbution) and financially unfeasible for a few thousand, or even tens of thousands of potential buyers lacking Swiss bank accounts in the coming x-number of years. It would be grand to win a lottery and be able to invest enough money in such projects as this, new Poloroid 55, and others to make them high-quality and affordable -- just as a good deed -- but holding our breath for that to happen would keep us from our work far too long. (Yes, 45 seconds is too long. Tempus fugit.)

Anyone have an informed perspective in this domain?